Holmes County commissioners reflect on strong 2025, look ahead to growth in 2026

Another year has meant another season of change, growth and blessings for Holmes County, and the Holmes County Commissioners are looking forward to a new year of continuing success for the county as the old year comes to an end.

Commissioner Chair Joe Miller said he is honored to be able to serve the people of Holmes County and said the commissioners did a lot to try to improve on the quality of life for the people this year.

One success story this year has been the erection of the new Holmes County Health District building on Glen Drive in Millersburg, something that has allowed the health district to blossom and grow after serving the county in very confined quarters for many years.

“That’s something that was a huge need for our county,” Miller said.

As 2026 arrives, the commissioners will now turn their attention on helping two other entities develop, those being the Holmes County Airport and the Holmes County Dog Warden and Adoption Center.

“We’re going to invest heavily in both of those areas,” Miller said.

He said the board of commissioners also has done its best to enhance each of the county departments and the personnel who faithfully served the county this year.

“It’s just been a good, strong year,” Miller said.

Commissioner Dave Hall agreed, noting another strength of the county has been the county’s engineering department, which oversaw the erection of Spellacy Bridge, a stunning covered bridge near Loudonville.

Hall said county engineer Chris Young and his department have done an exemplary job of making Holmes County’s roads among the best in the state.

“It’s been a challenge to keep our infrastructure process up to the growth we’re experiencing,” Hall said. “There’s always new projects and growth taking place, and our goal is to do what is best for this county, and Chris and his staff have done an exemplary job of doing just that, from our roads to our wastewater systems.”

Hall said he is excited about getting the design-build process going in 2026 for the airport, noting the airport’s growth signifies growth for Holmes County.

He also said reconstructing the third floor of the Job & Family Services will be among the projects on the agenda for 2026, as will the new lighting project for the Holmes County Courthouse, which also will see new windows replacing the old ones.

Miller said many of these projects can take place only because of the strong sales tax funding that continues to roll in through the tourism development that continues to drive the county’s economy.

“We’ve been able to achieve a lot in 2025,” Hall said. “And we expect to see that same type of success in 2026.”

First-year Commissioner Eric Strouse spent much of the latter part of the year getting his feet wet and learning the ropes after serving on the West Holmes School Board for many years.

Strouse said it was an educational experience as he gleaned a great deal from his two experienced co-commissioners.

“I’ve learned a lot about the procedures and how things work in the government,” Strouse said, noting his experience on the school board helped, but there are many differences between operating a school district and the government.

Once in office, he did say he came to realize the importance of working together as one and supporting one another, something he said the current board of commissions does very well.

“I really think we have done a good job of keeping things moving forward, and we’re in a very positive place as a county,” Strouse said.

One thing the commissioners said could well be a part of 2026 is further discussion on the current property tax issue. Should the push by a grassroots group to eliminate property tax in Ohio go through, that could have major implications on county governments.

Miller said Holmes County is more capable of handling additional tax situations than many counties because of the stable tourism income.

Hall said one major effect will be on school districts, which are one huge benefactor of property tax income.

“The state has to understand that under the Ohio Constitution, it is required to pay for the operation of schools,” Hall said. “Will the state support the school systems with their budget then? They aren’t saying at the state level, so we are waiting to see what happens there because we are an extension of the state government.”

While property tax issues remain a what-if situation, the commissioners are confident everything is in place to find success as a county in 2026.